**As you walk home from Charing Cross hospital you spot a young man who has been stabbed. You rush over to him, apply pressure to the wound and call an ambulance.
The ambulance crew arrive within minutes. The patient responds only to painful stimuli, is making incomprehensible sounds, looks pale and has cold peripheries. Although the paramedics cannot find a radial pulse, they can detect a weak carotid pulse. He is tachycardic. They administer oxygen, apply pressure to the wound in the upper leg, and insert a venous cannula to administer fluids before rushing him to hospital.
Upon arrival, he is met by the trauma team. He is now opening his eyes spontaneously, is highly agitated & disorientated. He keeps asking for ‘something to drink’. The surgical team repair a laceration to his femoral artery and transfer him to intensive care for recovery. Over the next 48h he regains consciousness, remains confused and only passes a few millilitres of dark urine.**